1200GS and ABS...

[kbada]

1200GS - maybe I am insular, dunno – I liked the old system – look up 1200Gs – all the gumf appeared – looked under ‘General’, could’nt find a suitable heading to plass this topic so, 1200GS lives on at least for me……..

To the point f’cris sakes –

My bike is now in hibernation thanks to something called winter, that’s spelt ‘SNOW’, so whatever responses – good, rude or crude - will have to wait til march/april next year, however -

I risk being called an ol’fart and some may say thats not totally unreasonable, afterall, I have been riding for longer than I care to remember however, to the question……

How the f*ck do I overcome the signals that are eminating from somewhere within my soul – the ones saying ‘do not lock the front wheel’. Have never had a BMW before never mind ABS so, come on guys, how do I overcome a lifetime of reasoning and try out this ABS thingy???

How many of you experienced a similar lack of heroism when first confronted with this new gizmo – be honest now……

 

[Kropotkin]

One word: Practice.

Find yourself a nice empty space (shouldn't be hard in Norway), such as a car park. Make sure the surface is clean and dry, you have to feel comfortable on it.

Take the bike up to 50 km/h. Then pull the front brake on, gradually and quickly building up pressure. Turn round, and repeat.

If you don't feel the ABS kick in the first time, build up pressure more quickly the next time. Keep this up, until the ABS does start to kick in.

Once you feel it, keep practicing , 10 or 20 times, until you get used to the feel of it.

Now, try and practice this daily. I have a set of traffic lights on my way home, where I always try and get the ABS to kick in, no matter what the conditions. It's a useful lesson, as I can see how the different conditions affect grip. Of course, before you slam the brakes full on on a public road, make sure there is nothing close behind you.

If you don't feel comfortable doing this on your own, then either find some advanced rider training (your national motorcycling organisation should be able to provide you with info, see Norsk Motorcykkel Union), or else contact a local motorcycle instructor, and discuss having a special lesson with them, focussing particularly on these skills.

I had been riding for 20 years before I took my first advanced rider training, an d it's the best money I ever spent.

David

 

[Emoto]

David is right. Practice braking drills are good fun too. I don't tend to go until I get the ABS to kick in; I just want to practice hauling the bike down from speed. If you choose a large empty parking lot (do you say "car park"?) you won't have to worry about other drivers. The other thing you can try is to run your braking drill through an area where there are a couple of pianted stripes. Paint usually has less traction than the pavement surrounding it, so the ABS may kick in as you cross it. Should be fun.

 

[Kropotkin]

The other thing you can try is to run your braking drill through an area where there are a couple of pianted stripes. Paint usually has less traction than the pavement surrounding it, so the ABS may kick in as you cross it. Should be fun.

Ooh yes, there's a little back road here with great big painted speed limit signs in the middle of the road. One thing I do is (after making sure I am alone, obviously), braking hard over these painted signs, especially when wet. Always manage to get the ABS to kick in across those signs. So I know how it feels.

 

[TheJoker]

Originally posted by DavidEmmett ....One thing I do is (after making sure I am alone, obviously), braking hard over these painted signs, especially when wet. Always manage to get the ABS to kick in across those signs...[/B]

I know I know I know!
We have these signs on the fast side of the road that say something like MO7S or something (must be welsch {sp?})... I find that sometimes I have to brake a lot over them... I reckon it's some acronym of testing ABS... ?!